Message in a bottle

I, literally, got a message in a bottle the other day. Turns out the FriendsofGlass have found me and want me to join in their campaign. Seems glass containers are getting a bad rap nowadays what with PET, tetrapak, cardboard containers, amongst other kinds of alternative packaging to good ol’ glass bottles.

What are the cons against glass? Weight has to be one of the biggies, so to speak. Have you seen the size of some of the wine bottles coming out of the New World, especially South America? They can weigh up to half a pound. Add the wine and we’re heading into some serious carbon mileage. So, I can see the attractions of PET, tetrapak and plastic on that front. Glass also breaks and you could get a rather nasty cut if one broke at the beach or at a picnic.

The upside to glass? It’s most virtuous quality has to be the fact that it’s 100% recyclable and can be recycled again and again, unlike plastic which takes centuries to biodegrade, is made from all sorts of nasty petrochemicals and usually has limited recyclability. Glass, on the other hand, is made up of only 3 ingredients: sand, soda ash and limestone. Glass is also an inert container so there’s no danger of the contents being contaminated by outside flavours or aromas or the contents picking up any unwanted flavours from the container. Glass also has a 5000 year old relationship with mankind so why should turn our back on such a faithful friend?

Is plastic really eco-friendly and/or carbon friendly? Does it make a difference if you use glass or plastic? I’ve been recruited by Friends of Glass to do some taste comparisons of glass versus plastic. As readers of my blog know already, I’m a big fan of Riedel glassware so maybe I’m a bit biased. Friends of Glass have their own blog if you’re interested in finding out more about this campaign along with their 5 good reasons to use glass. You can also check out their really cool interactive site. They are also putting their money where their mouth is and sending me a set of plastic and glass dinner sets to do a compare and contrast. I’ll let you know how it goes. Until then, cheers!

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I remember once – in my student days. A mate turned up to a party with a plastic bottle of wine. I didn’t say anything of course but I remember looking at it and thinking it was one of the most depressing things I had ever seen! (I can be a little over dramatic sometimes…) – you know what I mean though? The wine was disgusting too. Although, if I remember rightly, the party got a little raucous and the (red) wine got spilled all over our cream carpet. Cost us a fortune!

Sounds like the stain cost a lot more then the wine! You’ve given me a great idea for the plasticware/glassware dinner with the pork belly. Wine from a plastic bottle versus glass bottle – no upturned noses till after you try it, please!

how many dinner sets do you get? we could play with them @ a&v if you like? if you wanted to host a dinner or something here? or a wine tasting… i think the customers would have fun with the tableware… without breaking it of course